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Description
To create possibilities for the development of sociological imaginations, a type of critical thinking specific to sociology, an action research study was conducted in the Department of Sociology at the University of Guyana (UG). Initial cycles of action research highlighted that student engagement and expression were limited by the traditional teacher-centered pedagogical approaches used within the study context. Thus, an action research intervention was designed to integrate dialogic and inclusive pedagogies within the teaching of sociology in a final year Caribbean sociology course. Individual reflections were used to activate student voice and include student narratives centrally in teaching and learning processes while student-led discussions were used for power-sharing and the further transformation of student perspectives through dialogic talk. Qualitative analysis of written and verbal student reflections and end of course qualitative research interviews suggested that, in contrast to students’ frustration with current traditional pedagogical approaches, dialogic and inclusive approaches offer possibilities for enhancing and decolonizing education within the situated context of the study. The findings of this study suggest that (a) mutually respectful relationships of trust between teachers and students create room for students’ funds of knowledge to be centrally included in teaching and learning processes; (b) connecting content with experiences leading to a personalization of learning, empowering students to question and articulate sociologically informed original arguments; and (c) classroom dialogue further deepens students’ initial understandings and allows for an openness to learn from a multiplicity of perspectives. This study suggests avenues for exploring the powerful potential of reflection and dialogue in creating possibilities for the development of distinct sociological imaginations and critical thinking. It also outlines how dialogic and inclusive pedagogical approaches can be leveraged towards decolonizing education and positions action research as a viable option for educational improvement.
ContributorsAutar, Angelina (Author) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Thesis advisor) / Thompson, Nicole L. (Committee member) / Thomas, Jewel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The role of lecturers at the University of Guyana has always included research. However, the productivity of these lecturers has historically been low. This dissertation examines the reasons for low research productivity among lecturers and attempts to understand the underlying concerns. Through a series of action research cycles, the researcher developed a conceptual framework that intersected intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-determination, and self-regulation. A subsequent intervention, professional learning related to action research, was conducted to ascertain whether action research as a methodology could provide lecturers with a new way of thinking about how research could be conducted. A concurrent quantitative and qualitative mixed-method action research design was used to determine the effects of the intervention. An online survey and one-on-one semi-structured online interviews were conducted to collect data, while data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and thematic analysis. Findings indicate there was a significant increase in reported competence by lecturers.
ContributorsEdwards, Hector Aaron (Author) / Basile, Carole G. (Thesis advisor) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Committee member) / Ross, Lydia L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
School choice reforms such as charter schools, vouchers, open enrollment, and private and public school tax credit donation programs have expanded throughout the United States over the past twenty years. Arizona’s long-standing public school choice system enrolls a higher percentage of public school students in charter schools than any state besides Washington D.C. A growing number of Arizona’s charter schools are managed by for-profit and nonprofit Education Management Organizations (EMOs). Advocates of school choice argue that free-market education approaches will make public schools competitive and nimble as parents’ choices place pressures on schools to improve or close. This, then, improves all schools: public, private, and charter. Critics are concerned that education markets produce segregation along racial and social class lines and inequalities in educational opportunities, because competition favors advantaged parents and children who can access resources. Private and for-profit schools may see it in their interest to exclude students who require more support. School choice programs, then, may further marginalize students who live in poverty, who receive special education services, and English language learners.
We do not fully understand how Arizona’s mature school choice system affects parents and other stakeholders in communities “on the ground.” That is, how are school policies understood and acted out? I used ethnographic methods to document and analyze the social, cultural, and political contexts and perspectives of stakeholders at one district public school and in its surrounding community, including its charter schools. I examined: (a) how stakeholders perceived and engaged with schools; (b) how stakeholders understood school policies, including school choice policies; and (c) what influenced families’ choices.
Findings highlight how most stakeholders supported district public schools. At the same time, some “walked the line” between choices that were good for their individual families and those they believed were good for public schools and society. Stakeholders imagined “community” and “accountability” in a range of ways, and they did not all have equal access to policy knowledge. Pressures related to parental accountability in the education market were apparent as stakeholders struggled to make, and sometimes revisit, their choices, creating a tenuous schooling environment for their families.
We do not fully understand how Arizona’s mature school choice system affects parents and other stakeholders in communities “on the ground.” That is, how are school policies understood and acted out? I used ethnographic methods to document and analyze the social, cultural, and political contexts and perspectives of stakeholders at one district public school and in its surrounding community, including its charter schools. I examined: (a) how stakeholders perceived and engaged with schools; (b) how stakeholders understood school policies, including school choice policies; and (c) what influenced families’ choices.
Findings highlight how most stakeholders supported district public schools. At the same time, some “walked the line” between choices that were good for their individual families and those they believed were good for public schools and society. Stakeholders imagined “community” and “accountability” in a range of ways, and they did not all have equal access to policy knowledge. Pressures related to parental accountability in the education market were apparent as stakeholders struggled to make, and sometimes revisit, their choices, creating a tenuous schooling environment for their families.
ContributorsPotterton, Amanda U (Author) / Powers, Jeanne M. (Thesis advisor) / Berliner, David C. (Committee member) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Committee member) / Glass, Gene V (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017